posted 08-21-2013 07:57 AM
I'm not aware of satellites being used to relay telemetry during Skylab missions. However, I'm sure others may correct this.

The ATS satellite was used during the Apollo-Soyuz mission which I understood to be something of a first.

Boeing 135 ARIA aircraft with their distinctive bulbous nose were used during Skylab as they were during Apollo to relay communications "as I understand it" in areas out of reach of the worldwide ground based receiving stations.

tetroxMember

Posts: 97From: London EnglandRegistered: Jan 2008

posted 08-21-2013 08:25 AM
Following up on my previous post, this document on Bob Andrepont's wonderful "Scribd" site makes various mentions of linking through ARIA "Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft." For example, at the bottom of page 5.

RossMember

Posts: 378From: AustraliaRegistered: Jul 2003

posted 08-21-2013 09:01 AM
As well as the land based tracking network there were four range instrumented aircraft and one tracking ship, the USNS Vanguard. The aircraft operated from Australian (2), Spanish and Indian Ocean airfields and were mainly used to fill the voids in communications during the launch and early orbital phases of each flight.

Satellites were not in general use until part the way through the Space Shuttle missions when a system of TDRS satellites was commissioned. The first was launched in 1983 on STS-6.

Jim BehlingMember

Posts: 560From: Cape Canaveral, FLRegistered: Mar 2010

posted 08-21-2013 09:34 AM

Satellites were not used until ASTP and ATS-6. And then not until STS-8.

ARIA were only used during launch phase. They would not have been used during the onorbit phase of the Skylab mission.